Behavior Modification Program
Steps

Assessment

A. Describe the Target
Behavior

Look for patterns in the
behavior by finding the answer to these questions. Do NOT rely on subjective
opinion but try to watch the actual behavior. An interview of the subject or
of persons familiar with the subjects' behavior may be helpful if you use focused
questions and get specific answers.

The global question you
are trying to answer is: under what circumstances does the behavior occur and
when does it not occur? What is the pattern that the behavior displays?

Where does the behavior
occur (only at home? at school? in the presence of particular persons or objects?)?

When does it occur (time
of day? day of week? weekends vs weekdays?)?

When the behavior occurs,
how long does it endure?

How intense is the behavior
(e.g., is the child talking or screaming)?

How frequently does it
happen? per hour, per day, per week, per year (select the single most meaningful
period of time).

What was present or occurring
5-10 minutes prior to the behavior?

What was present or occurring
within 2-3 minutes after the behavior?

Who was present during
an instance of the behavior? Describe how these people are related to the
subject.

Describe in very specific
behavioral terms what an instance of the behavior looks like. Describe it
so an actor could display the exact behavior. Relate what was said as well
as what was done and with what. Even seemingly insignificant actions could
provide a clue for moderating the behavior.

Not "He disrupted
the class."

Not "He yelled
a lot."

Better: "He
spoke in a volume that drowned out my voice and said, "I want my
pencil back." Then he jumped on his chair and wiggled his hips while
pointing at Tim, in the right hand seat. He was laughing and smiling throughout
this period.

B. Avoid these mistakes
when describing the behavior

Confusing motivation
and behavior.

Motives are theories,
not actual behavior. They are assumptions about the cause of behavior.
The word "because" signals an assumption. Don't say he/she:
"wanted to" "interested in" "liked" or "disliked".

Infusing theories of
behavior into your report. Do not use concepts like "personality,"
or "insight" or "traits". It is even an inference to say
that a particular behavior is a "habit" or "his nature."
Trait names, such as "shy," "anxious," "aggressive,"
also fail to describe the behavior because they refer to theories about the
cause of the behavior.

Evaluating the desirability
of the behavior. Behavior is of neutral value. It just is. Its effects may
be desirable or undesirable to a particular objective or to a particular person.
But when describing it, avoid those judgments. To label a behavior as a problem
or poor or good is

vague and meaningless
and thus does not contribute to understanding it.

imposes a set of
values that might be inappropriate upon closer inspection.

Using general terms such
as: frequently, several, occasionally, periodically. Instead give a precise
number (e.g., 2 times per day).

C. Measure the behavior
to get precise data for the above questions.

There are a number of methods.
Several may work for any particular behavior. There is no rule to say which
is best other than that you use the method that targets the behavior you intend
to change. If, for example, you want to smoke fewer cigarettes in order to save
money on buying them, then you need to count the number of total cigarettes
consumed per day. Counting the length of time it takes you to smoke one (while
still smoking the same number) won't give you the information you need to achieve
your goal.

Typically, multiple methods
are used in a single project because multiple facets are of interest.

Methods:

Frequency: # of times
a response is performed per a unit of time (e.g., day). For example, smokes
24 cigarettes every day.

Amount of time: the length
of time a response lasts. This may be measured in terms of

the duration
of the behavior (from start to finish), for example., takes 2 minutes
or 20 minutes to smoke a single cigarette.

the number of intervals
in which the behavior is observed occurring. (e.g., only smokes during
the 9am break, never at any other time = 1 interval; vs. smokes a cigarette
every hour = 18 hours.) If the behavior occurs frequently and has a clear
beginning and end, then use short intervals (10-15 seconds). Less than
5 seconds is too short-- can't tell which interval the behavior occurred
in. Don't use interval recording if the behavior is "continuous,"
that is, it persists for long periods of time with no clear beginning
or end point, e.g., thumb sucking.

Intensity: the magnitude
or size of the response. Does the subject smoke the cigarette down to the
filter or takes a few puffs and puts it out?

Latency: the time that
elapses until a response is performed. For example, how long can a person
goes until they pull out a cigarette.

Before beginning your assessment

You will need to answer
the following questions.

How many times will you
collect data?

How long will each observation
period be? (long enough to get several samples of behavior).

When during the day and
what days of the week will you observe the behavior? Do you need to consider
weekends in addition to weekdays?

Who and how many observers
will there be? How will you train the observer to be accurate?

D. Identify a baseline
(aka operant level) for the behavior.

Behavior modification is
about real change. You cannot determine if real change has occurred unless
you know what behavior is typical. Typical behavior is the baseline against
which the success of your intervention is measured. If you fail to collect baseline
data, then you have no way, let me repeat that, no way to tell if your
intervention worked. Behaviorists do not rely on memory which is fallible. Without
baseline data you do not have a behavior modification program.

Identifying a baseline means
you collect data over a period of time without trying to change the behavior.

How long do you collect
data? It depends on the characteristics of the behavior. In general, you collect
enough that the behavior of interest shows a steady pattern. With some animal
behaviors, that might be 1 hour. With some human behaviors, it may take several
weeks.

Deciding
to Change Behavior

In this phase, commitment
to the program is developed and the groundwork for a successful program is laid.

A. All significant parties
are involved and demonstrate commitment

Encourage participation
in decisions by the subject and persons who will might have an impact on the
success or failure of the program including parents, teachers, administrators,
spouses, children, bosses, coworkers, etc.

B. Be specific and precise
about the behavioral goals.

As a number of people are
involved, clear communication is critical. Even if it is a self-change, writing
our your goals and activities will ensure that you have actually been clear
in your planning. It can be a self-check.

Clarity is a process of
writing and rewriting. It is common, despite great effort to clarify, to discover
that some behaviors remain unclarified once the program is begun. Nevertheless,
do your best and it will pay off in a more successful outcome.

Include any conditions or
restrictions.

Example of a precise goal:

Not: "To eat healthily"

Better: "To reduce
the number of snacks (defined as ice cream, candy, or Twinkies) from one with
each meal and one in the evening to one every 3rd day and to increase the
number of vegetable portions (as defined by Government standards) from one
with my evening meal, to 6 portions per day."

C. What are the ethical
considerations?

Are there any dangers to
the subject or others? For example, woman in an abusive relationship may be
accused of trying to be seductive if she loses weight and be beaten as a consequence.
Current health status impacts on the safety of exercise and eating programs.
A person exercising in a solitary place needs to consider safety factors.

Are humane methods being
used with animals? Punishment should be used very cautiously and only with close
supervision.

D. Consider the total context
of the behavior.

What is initiating and maintaining
a behavior (or the absence of a behavior)? Another person may benefit in some
way from the target behavior and undermine change efforts. For example, a spouse
may want someone to eat comfort foods with her and feel neglected or judged
if the subject starts eating healthily. (If you say, "The spouse can go
on a diet too" consider the ethical issues above. The spouse may not wish
to and that would be imposing values and the person would probably simply undermine
efforts.) Some persons are rewarded by another's perceived difficulty. They
will seek to continue getting their reinforcement.

Beginning
the Program

A. Identify potential interventions
and select one or several that match the target behavior.

Various procedures can be
used together for maximum effect, although a program that is too complex is
in danger of not being followed. Strike a balance between every possible procedure
and too few.

Categorize your target behavior
as one of the following, then see your textbook for appropriate interventions.

teach a never before
performed behavior (reinforcement: positive and negative )

You already trained any
needed data collectors during the baseline. Continue to collect data throughout
using the same methods.

Apply intervention. Persist
with intervention until

change occurs,

it is clear that
change is not going to occur and the method needs evaluation and refinement

On to evaluation.

Evaluating
the Program

Extensive planning increases
the odds that a behavior change program will result in behavior change if appropriately
implemented. We cannot know if that has succeeded until we measure the behavior
and compare it to the baseline.

A. Graph the results

Most data collection can
be graphed (occasionally a table is more appropriate). Graphs quickly reveal
progress or lack thereof. They allow for evaluation of hypotheses as to what
happened (or didn't). Small variations in behavior are normal. Judge progress
based on viewing multiple data collection periods (that might mean, for example,
looking at a week's worth of data, graphed by days).

B. Consider trying a "Reversal"

To demonstrate true control
over the behavior, remove the intervention. If the behavior returns to baseline,
then the chosen intervention and not some other event is the likely cause of
the change. (Of course, data is continuously collected).

With some behaviors, reversals
are not ethical (head banging in autistic children) or possible (learning to
speak a language).

C. Evaluate the results
and reach conclusions.

Conclusions will be similar
to one of the following:

The intervention was
successful in producing change as shown by......

The intervention was
not successful in producing change as shown by.....

The data offer a mixed
picture. These elements were successful as shown by..... these elements were
not as shown by....

In each case, elaborate
on the elements that worked well and those that didn't. Evaluate the stages
of the project and identify what was learned about changing the behavior that
would be helpful "next time."

Behavior Modification is
a science. Clear communication of conclusions and possible implications is part
of any science.

C. Modify your Intervention

Based on what you learned,
improve your program and try again. It is through such evaluation and thoughtful
reapplication that progress is made.